Why is JESUS and His Resurrection so Important?
By Shaun Shuler
In July 2020, CNN host Don Lemon said,
“Jesus Christ, if that's who you believe in, Jesus Christ, admittedly was not perfect when he was here on this earth.”
As absurd as that statement is to millions of us that are Christians, I want to share the truth with those who are not Christians.
Why is JESUS and His resurrection so important?
There needed to be a perfect sacrifice to give humanity a chance at a relationship with the CREATOR of the universe.
From the beginning, it was the devil that tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit in the garden that brought sin into the world. The devil knows that sin separates us from a relationship with GOD and that is his goal. JESUS on the other hand, came to live a sinless life, and freely gave up His life that we can be saved, thus destroying the works and plans of the devil.
The significance of JESUS’ resurrection was it proved He was the SON of GOD. Without the resurrection, JESUS would have just been another famous teacher, and nothing more than that. Also, without rising from the dead, the promises He gave us in the Bible would not be valid.
There were plenty of eye witnesses to JESUS being alive after the cross, but this is more than historical fact, it is the spiritual truth that opens the door to salvation and eternity with GOD if we chose to accept Him.
Every human being ever born is a sinner. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit GOD commanded not to eat, sin entered the world. Everyone born into the world is separated from GOD because of sin. (see Genesis 2:15-3:19 for the story of Adam and Eve and the birth of sin in our world.)
The penalty for sin is death. The death he is referring to here is a spiritual death. Without JESUS we are dead in spirit. And in our physical death, if we go through life without accepting the gift of GOD which is JESUS, we will spend eternity away from Him in hell.
The amazing thing is, even though we were born into the world as sinners, GOD still loved us so much to send JESUS to take on that penalty of sin and die for us.
We will never fully understand how great and awesome GOD’s love is for us. He didn’t have to send JESUS to die for us. He could’ve just left us alone to die in our own sins and everyone would’ve ended up spending forever in torment and isolation in the lake of fire.
Now a question we should all ask is,
“what must I do to be saved?”
You first have to realize that you are someone who doesn’t live up to GOD’s holy standards and that you need a Savior. Then when GOD reveals in your heart who JESUS is and what He has done for you, then you are ready to accept Him. You have to ask Him to forgive you of your sins, acknowledge that He is the SON of GOD that came into the world, lived a perfect life and died for your sins, was raised from the dead and is preparing for His return. This is the way to salvation. It’s not about reciting a prayer or saying a few churchy words. It’s about faith and believing the truth the Bible teaches about JESUS and confessing to Him that you accept that truth.
Even after we are saved, we will still make mistakes. We try our best to honor GOD with our lives, but we still sin and still fall short of GOD’s standards. The difference though is as a Christian, you do not let sin become your lifestyle. When we sin, all we have to do is come before Him and ask for forgiveness and ask Him for the strength to not do it again. Even as a Christian, unconfessed sin still harms the relationship we have with GOD, and we need to daily get before Him and confess our sins.
When we become Christians, GOD does not hold our sins against us anymore. Once we ask for forgiveness for our sins, it is forgiven and GOD can fellowship with us and accomplish His will through us. After confessing our sins to JESUS, the times we still feel guilty from those mistakes is totally from the enemy trying to drag us down into depression.
Salvation is a gift that GOD freely gives to all of us who believe in JESUS. There is no word or action that you can perform to earn salvation. If we could earn our salvation then JESUS would not have needed to come and die for us. You may ask, “Why doesn’t just GOD let everyone go to heaven?” It’s because He has given us free will and we have to choose to accept what JESUS did for us in order to receive the gift of salvation. We would not want to be with someone who was forced to love us. We want to be with people who choose to love us. GOD is the same way He wants us to freely choose Him.
Once we have accepted JESUS as Lord and Savior, we have the assurance that our salvation is secure in Him. We don’t earn our salvation, so in return we can’t lose our salvation. The devil will put doubts in our mind or circumstances will rise to challenge our faith, but once we receive CHRIST in our hearts we are placed in the security of GOD’s loving, protective hands.
“nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of GOD which is in CHRIST JESUS our Lord.”
Romans 8:39 NKJV
When we have accepted the free gift of salvation we’re not done. Salvation is not the purpose of life. If it was, everyone who accepts JESUS as Lord and Savior would be taken to heaven immediately. Our purpose as a Christian is to live our lives CHRIST-like. JESUS wants us to share our faith to others. That doesn’t mean beating someone down with the Bible, but it is sharing our experiences that we have gone through where JESUS showed up. It is living a life honorable to Him, it’s showing love, mercy, and grace to those that may not deserve it. The best way for us to share our faith with someone else is by our actions more than our words.
We have hope in JESUS, that no matter what our circumstances are even if it means our eventual physical death, JESUS is always with us.
If you know about JESUS, but never had a relationship with Him, or you aren’t sure if you are saved, go to a quiet place alone, where there are no distractions and pray this prayer. This is not about the words of the prayer as much as your heart believing and crying out to JESUS.
JESUS, I know that I am a sinner and have made so many mistakes, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and ask You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer or you still have questions about JESUS, GOD, LIFE, etc. please email me at papashaunscorner@yahoo.com and I’d be happy to discuss with you privately any questions you may have.
GOD BLESS,
Thank you for visiting and please leave any comments, questions, prayer requests, or ideas for new topics you’d like for me to discuss in the comment box below.
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